System for providing information regarding network resources

• US 20030158912A1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Shell S., Foster, Ward S., Livingston, Kris R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,996,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A client-server system is described. The system includes a group of Web sites that provide Web resources to clients. The resources can communicate with a common interface in order to access a user'"'"'s documents when the user is actively making use of the resource. The system further includes a Web site that can deliver a Web page to a client. The Web page provides links and other information regarding the group of Web sites.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

(a) a Web client computer coupled to a network; and

(b) a Web site coupled to the network and operable to cause the client to display a Web page that includes information regarding a plurality of different Web resources that are available over the network; and

wherein each of the Web resources can make use of a common interface in order to access a user'"'"'s job document when the user is actively making use of the resource.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the Web page includes a plurality of hyperlinks each pointing to a unique one of the Web resources.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the Web site includes a browsable database of information regarding Web Resources that are available over the network and that can make use of the interface in order to access an active user'"'"'s job document.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the Web site includes a browsable database of information regarding devices each respectively represented by a Web resource available over the network that can make use of the interface in order to access an active user'"'"'s job document.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the Web page includes at least one advertisement of a Web resource that can make use of the interface to access a user'"'"'s job document when the user is making use of the resource.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the Web site generates the Web page based, at least in part, upon the user'"'"'s job document.

7. A Web Server computer, comprising:

(a) means for receiving a request from a client computer over a network; and

(b) means for responding to the request by sending the client computer at least one Web page; and

(c) wherein the at least one Web page includes a plurality of hyperlinks to a plurality of different Web sites, each Web site providing a Web resource configured to communicate with a common interface in order to access a user'"'"'s job document when the user is actively making use of the resource.

8. The Web server computer of claim 7, wherein the at least one Web page includes an advertisement of a particular Web resource configured to communicate with the common interface in order to access a user'"'"'s job document when the user is actively making using of the resource.

9. The Web Server computer of claim 7, further comprising:

(d) at least one database including information regarding Web Sites available over the network each providing a resource configured to communicate with the common interface; and

(e) means for enabling a client computer to search the at least one database.

10. The Web server computer of claim 9, wherein the at least one database further includes information regarding devices that are represented by at least some of the Web resources.

11. The Web server computer of claim 9, wherein the common interface is an application program interface (API).

12. The Web Server computer of claim 9, further comprising:

(f) means for dynamically discovering Web Sites connected to the network that provide a Web resource configured to communicate with the common interface; and

(g) means for adding information regarding the dynamically discovered Web Sites to the at least one database.

13. The Web Server computer of claim 7, wherein the Web page includes an advertisement regarding at least one Web resource configured to communicate with the common interface.

14. The Web server computer of claim 7, further comprising:

(a) means for generating the Web page based upon at least one characteristic of the user'"'"'s job document.

15. A method, comprising:

(a) providing at least one server computer in communication with a network;

(b) the at least one server computer receiving a request from a client computer over the network;

(c) the at least one server computer responding to the request by transmitting at least one Web page to the client, the Web page including information regarding a plurality of different Web resources that are available over the network; and

wherein each of the Web resources configured to make use of a common interface in order to access a user'"'"'s pre-selected document when the user is actively making use of the resource.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the Web page includes a plurality of hyperlinks each pointing to a unique one of the Web resources.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the Web page further includes an advertisement of at least one service provided by a resource configured to make use of the common interface.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

(d) providing at least one database associated with the at least one server, the database including information regarding available Web Resources that are configured to make use of common interface in order to access a user'"'"'s pre-selected document when the user is actively making use of the resource;

(e) the at least one server computer receiving a query of the database from a client; and

(f) the at least one server computer responding to the query by searching the database and sending the results of the query to the client.

19. A computer readable medium embodying a program of instructions for causing a computer to perform method steps, the method steps comprising:

displaying information regarding a plurality of different Web resources each configured to communicate with a common interface in order to access a user'"'"'s job document when the user is actively using the resource.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the common interface is an application program interface.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the information displaying step is performed by displaying a Web page that includes the information.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the Web page includes at least one advertisement of a Web resource configured to communicate with the common interface.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the Web page includes hyperlinks pointing to at least some of the different Web resources.

24. A method, comprising:

providing a client computer that includes a Web browser having a Web extension, the Web Extension providing an API for accessing an electronic document; and

displaying a Web page on the client computer that includes a plurality of hyperlinks, each pointing to Web content that is configured to communicate with the API in order to access the document.

25. A method, comprising:

providing a client computer;

displaying a Web page on the client computer that includes a plurality of hyperlinks, each pointing to a Web resource that is configured to communicate with a common interface in order to access a user'"'"'s job document when the user is actively using the resource.